The Order of St. Arthur
The Order of St. Arthur is a privately funded organization dedicated to the systematic extermination of all non-humans on the planet. Originally the paranormal defense force for the Kingdom of England up until the end of the 2nd World War, it finds its roots in the ashes of the Court of King Arthur and has a long and fabled history, once standing as the worlds most far reaching Hunter Order. However without government oversight the name of the group has fallen under a dark banner. Its leaders use the Orders extensive influence and resources to promote their own goals, and treat monster hunting as a sadistic sport to justify their criminal activities. Indeed its bulldog manner and complete disregard for borders and other treaties has seen it even lead to conflict with other Orders. However its centuries of contacts, numerous patrons and extensive knowledge on magic has allowed it to maintain a relatively prominent position in the shadowy world of monster hunting. Overview The Order of St. Arthur is arguably one of the oldest still functioning Monster Hunting Order's. Formerly a government sponsored organization for Kingdom of England and later the British Empire, it was cut loose at the end of the 2nd World War due to its multiple failings during the conflict. Surviving if not flourishing from lack of oversight the organization is a major and shadowy force in both the normal and supernatural world, with a long reach and an even more sadistic desire to exterminate all non-humans going hand in hand with their legitimate and illegitmate front companies. Its centuries to genocide and ruthless pursuit of purity make it a danger to anyone out of their own organization. They have showed numerous times a willingness to fight other monster orders and launching systematic secret purges of anything that dares challenges them: supernatural or otherwise. To its own members the order is a highly exclusive club, dedicated to the thrill of the hunt and to the eternal superiority of the civilized human species. It treats those it preys upon as little more then game beasts, to be tracked hunted and caught, many of its members ignoring the organizations former knightly roots.At the same time it acts as an underground network for the influential and wealthy, free of government oversight and allowing shadowy dealing's to be made in secret. However in recent years with the onset of multimedia and the Internet the organization is facing increasing difficulty to maintain hidden. Indeed as many supernatural creatures show a willingness to integrate so to does the justification for their war erode and their true identity as a sick hunting cult become exposed. The very foundations of what they stand on getting knocked away. Origins Although the exact date is disagreed on, the Order was founded by Sir Bedivere 'The Last Knight' of the Knights of the Round Table in the mid-5th century A.D. Established after a disastrous civil war that leveled the city of Camelot and saw the death of the English Warlord's Arthur its primary mission was to preserve the ideals of their King of a world where the supernatural and Humans could live in peace. There mission was at first to maintain the delicate balance between man and there supernatural kin, however many supernatural creatures feeling discontent with their position attempted to revolt against the order forcing it to side with the invading Saxons to prevent its own destruction. Eventually coming to reside in Winchester it became the primary tool of the Anglo-Saxon kings of policing their territory and negotiating with the supernatural. All the while residing under the direct control of Bedivere, who dedicated to his Kings ideals and being a Vampire swore to see a land were men and women, no matter their species, could exist as one. History However time has a funny way of distorting what truly happened, and as the Human populations grew and the supernatural found itself increasingly squeezed on all sides, interaction between the order and those it had to 'police' became more and more violent. However with the coming of the Normans and their newer hasher methods of enforcing rules Bedivere, unable to cope and unwilling to compromise his ideals, stepped down as grandmaster after almost 600 years of service to preserve peace and allowed a human Knight to assume control of the order in 1072. From here the order became increasingly hash in attempting to maintain order, and more then once made examples of both humans and supernatural creatures who defied the peace between the two, leading to increase attempts to separate the two. From here however the order became a tool of the Kingdom to enforce the human monarchy, and protect it from supernatural threats rather then preserve peace. Under the reign of Edward I the order was pressed into service rather then a policing body then as a military unit, used as an advanced force to clear away supernatural creatures in lands that refused to submit to him. During the 100 years war, numerous accusations from the Papacy were thrown at the order for forcing werecreatures into combat, a act banned under agreed upon Christian laws. In the War of the Roses order magic users were frequently employed to not only bolster armies but also to use mind control on various lords to manipulate loyalties and throw their support behind one faction. Indeed they became so important to the end of the war, with them throwing their support behind Henry Tudor, that after it they were granted as extra authority on the advice of Bedivere to reinforce the crumbling balance between man and the supernatural. The end of peace As he no longer head of the Order, Bedivere could not foresee what consequences this would have, as overtime the orders grandmasters began to abuse their power over the supernatural to manoeuvre themselves into advantageous positions at court. Seeing what the order had become Bedivere advised the new King Charles I to pull back its power, on the proposed reasoning on saving money. This briefly ended tensions between the supernatural and humans, as it allowed the supernatural breathing room, to recover from centuries of restrictions. This was short lived however. Infuriated at a restriction on its power when the English Civil War hit the Order sided firmly with Parliament during the conflict, with the Grandmaster at the time Matthew Hopkins using the chaos created to scrape back its extra judicial powers and putting the 'heathen creatures' back in their place, which quickly devolved into bloody purges in revenge for the death of his own mother at the hand of a werewolf. From here in the chaos of the civil war the order adopted its zero-tolerance policy against all non-humans, were Hopkins, the 'Witch finder general' exterminated everyone and anyone who was not 'pure' driving many of England's supernatural creatures to the America's and sending the rest into hiding. Hopkins reign of terror only came to an end when Bedivere, spared due to his impeachable record, assassinated the mad hunter. But his betrayal was the final nail in the coffin of the organization's tolerance for the supernatural, which had been faltering for centuries. And so the bloody purges began in earnest. Thus Bedivere fled to the America, and the order entered a phase of human supremacy. But one lesson was learned by Hopkins, that deliberate interaction with the supernatural only allowed them to escape, from now on they would enter the shadows to destroy them. Imperial Era Over the next three-hundred years the order grew with the British Empire, and with it did its aggressive secret war against the supernatural. During this time its grandmasters selectively edited history to make the common people think that things like werewolves, elves, ogres and others non-humans never existed. In addition many smaller species and many more sub-species of various species were wiped out by the orders almost dogmatic policy and willingness to cross any border in search of prey. Indeed so successful where they it became pretty clear by the 1800's that people began to view the world without magic, or monsters, and simply they were creatures that went bump in the night, or so the Order told them. It reached the point when few people around the globe save for other government agencies could challenge them, and even fewer supernatural creatures would willingly strike out against them within British territories. Indeed this unchallenged nature allowed the order to amass a repository of both magical and alchemical knowledge. Its ranks swelling to an enormous size, numbering by the beginning of the twentieth-century ten thousand members, spread across the world. Even so not everywhere greeted them kindly, places like the America's strongly resented their influence and meddling, Japan flat out barred them and even with all their power they could not hope to eradicate every non-human. The only noticeable exception in this was the 1812 "Grim day massacre." A few miles outside London there were rumors of two Dragon's fighting, when the Order went to investigate the entire strike force disappeared. When a force of Paladin's were gathered they managed to spot one white dragon fighting a red dragon, and when they tried to interfere the red dragon deflected all attempts to attack. None the less the battle destroyed two villages and the Order went on another Witch Hunt following the event, attacking the last enclaves of the supernatural in Scotland and Wales. However supremacy breeds complacency and it was not long before they were forced to meet a force of equal power. As while it was brutal, corrupt and ruthless the Order never once crossed the line into using dark magic, and had always held a view that such things were beneath their holy crusade. The Nazi's however had no such qualms, and while the order horded knowledge on basics of magic, they ignored the more obscure, the darker, more demonic powers. And in their arrogance they allowed the Nazi's to slowly build their power until the war sparked and the order found itself completely unprepared. Forced to contend with demonically empowered agents, artificially created vampires, zombie hordes and arcane knowledge they themselves had passed over because of the danger it posed to the world, they were almost overrun within the first few months of the war. For the first time in over two centuries the order met a force that could and would match them The Paranormal Research Division. Thus they fought a losing battle, for five years straight, and as their membership dropped and new applicants were swallowed up by the unseen horrors of the war the allied forces created new agencies to deal with the supernatural threat. These new agencies work hand in hand with the supernatural, aiming t fight a common foe who was using powers of a dark and sinister nature, that threatened not only mankind but the whole world. And while these new groups cut a swath through the Nazi forces: even when the allies ran over the borders of Germany and the Soviets stormed Berlin, the order was near collapse under the last ditch monstrosities that their enemies threw at them. And as war ended and the atom bombs were dropped, the order stood, barely two-hundred strong, and collapsed on the ground broken from the horrors of the Nazis. Recent History and corruption Following the war, due to its near destruction and seeming inability to respond to the supernatural threats posed by the Nazi's the Order was officially dismissed, and replaced with new agencies to forge more amenable relations with the supernatural. Although despite its brutality it was dismissed with honours for its centuries of service. And so Britain and the rest of the world opened up to a more conservative and less aggressive policy to the supernatural. However one member of the order, Commander Gerald Baxter refused to just let all he did during the war just be thrown out. He and his men had fought to preserve mankind and drive back the darkness of the supernatural, not try to coddle them. As such with other members he used the contacts they had and the repositories of knowledge they had hidden to reforge the order to defend mankind from the true threat. With or without government approval. And from here Baxter used their old contacts and secret treasure troves of knowledge to set up a monster hunting underground. And all the while his supporters recruited a new generation of warriors to take up the call to protect mankind. And since they were no longer bound by the restrictions the government had long imposed he showed no reluctance to recruit criminals, the mentally damaged or even children. With them he began to forge a new defense against the perceived threat of the supernatural. In a weird twist of fate this paranoia paid off, with the order managing to recover and challenge a Vampire King who wished to use the Cold War arms race to start a Nuclear War. Heading off in 1962 the Order engaged in what became known as its last great charge where it successfully met and challenged the coven. And although Baxter died his prodigy Gabriel Amell successfully beheaded the King and thus the order saved the world, one last time. And that was its last true moment of glory, since then it has sunk into the murky depths of backroom politics, murder, scandal and manipulation. And as the world changed around them its members changed with it, becoming caught up with wealth, violence and self indulgence. Their attacks became more brutal, their members turning to dark arts to gain power, and many even began to force the supernatural to work for them. The few who kept to Baxter's dream of a strong bulwark for humanity were pushed to the side, only Gabriel remaining an open critic. And by the turn of the millennium the organization is now a den of criminals and those of questionable tastes for those who either enjoy pain or simply seek the thrill of the hunt. Order's structure The Order's structure is fairly loose, with it being scattered all over the world and its members fighting either alone or in very small groups, only becoming complicated near the top. Indeed it is often remarked with some pride that compared to other Monster Hunters that they bring down the supernatural with so few numbers, however it is more structured then you think. Initiates gather around a Knight, with the Knight acting as their direct link to the order, contacting the paladin's who act as the intermediaries between the people on the ground and the people on the top, the grand council. The Grand Council consists of only five members, each of whom possess near undisputed say over how the organization is run. However all changes must be agreed upon by a two to three majority. Each council oversees a separate branch of the organization ranging from technological development, magical research, recruitment, infiltration and training. Suffice to say the level of power each member wields not only within the organization and outside of it makes its leaders among the most influential and powerful men on the planet. There is only two requisites for becoming a councilor, in that you must have killed ten separate non-human sentient species, and that you are a veteran of more then twenty years. The only two people who can overturn the council are the Grandmaster and the Justicar. The Grandmaster is the one who can select policy and even block new rules or ideas within the whole organization, effectively heading the group. Although his power is tempered by the fact he can only do this three times before letting the motion pass. The Justicar however heads the Inquisitor core, and is in charge in making sure the rules of the council are enforced. Even among the councillors. Traditionally each different group must interact with each other without any complaint, although naturally this does not work in practice and what happens on the ground can easily get swept up in inter councilor politics. This has become especially common since the order was removed from direct government supervision, with its councilors frequently using their extensive resources and members to advance personal goals and research over that of the orders mission. Indeed it is because of this selfish nature that the order has almost been discovered by legitimate authorities on more then one occasion. Such in fighting is regulated by the Inquisitor core, who make sure that no one defies the council, but at the same time make sure the council does not abuse its position. Or it would if it was not equally as corrupt. Clubs While the upper echelons of the Order of St. Arthur are well defined, encompassing at most around twenty people the lower ranks that make up the bulk of the organisation are largely undefined. As it more of a society than a military organisation, the Order's lower rankings are split up in groups which can adequately be referred to as clubs or associations of like minded hunters who work together or associate frequently. Naturally these groups are not fixed and it is not uncommon for a member to identify with more than one 'club' or group during their time in the order. Clubs themselves are both a hunting group and also a way of hunters to declare association with one another. They typically have prevailing themes, although this is not universal and nearly always cross the established boundaries laid out by the councillors with A Paladin from the technology division working with two Knights from the magical artefact and procurement division along with a initiate who has yet to be assigned his position. They also vary in size massively ranging from anywhere from a quarter of the organisation to around three members, and often bond around hunting themes. For instance Alchemists Anonymous is a very secretive and exclusive group that excel in Alchemical ways of beating the supernatural, while the largest club: Enclave Annihilators is a very inclusive group that tracks down supernatural Enclaves and then gets together large amount of Order members to collectively attack. Other notable groups include Team Atlantis, who prefer to escrow the hunting flare that many Order members have for straight up military tactics, The Brew Butchers who take to hunting the supernatural while drunk or The Holy Iron Chain Knights who pride themselves on being one of the longest running clubs and claiming to be the orders unofficial ceremonial guards, excelling in tracking and protecting VIP's, while wearing some of the most styled armour. The most renowned club/group is the Master Council which is also the most exclusive and only permits the best hunters to join, having such figures like Gabriel Amell and Harbin Odafin as key members: to be asked to join is the highest honour and it currently has two of the five councillors sitting on it. Initiates are often made to form clubs amongst themselves to weed out undesirables and also get them acquainted with hunting life in the Order: as is with the case of Team Eldorado. Such groups are rarely intended to permanent but some do persist and become quite respected. Still by their nature groups are fluid and rarely ever remaining fixed, with only the oldest ones showing any real impact on Order politics. Factions Factions are different from clubs and are not officially recognised by the order in the same way the latter are. Factions is a term defining a members ideological and political stance on hunting is. Moderates, genocides, regulators and purists are some of a dozen terms given to viewpoints that dominate the order and dictate how hunters act. Purists are noted for rejecting all forms of magic even those that can be practiced by humans while radical purists wish to see even magic banned from the order: although such views are in the minority. Regulators in turn state that the Supernatural should be regulated rather than destroyed while Genocides advocate the annihilation of all non-human races. Faction warfare while never spilling over into actual conflict heavily dictates how the Order behaves. There have been many factions over the decades since the 2nd world war and they all have played a impact on how the organisation acts both with the supernatural and other hunter organisations. The Grand masters main role is unofficially to set Hunting policy for the whole Order and keep such factions from being to powerful, but the current Grand Masters apathy to the issue over the last three decades has allowed it to become the norm and overturning it by this point seems unlikely. The Order of St. Arthur currently is strongly leaning towards Moderate Genocide, with serious under currents of Extremist Regulation. What this means is that currently most hunters lean towards the idea of exterminating most supernatural creatures save those that can be used or controlled, or those who become Serfs. Their are however calls for not exterminating those who are willing to accept being placed into camps ad conceding to human superiority. However in recent years a human supremacist faction lead by Marcus Hopkins has pushed to open up membership more and include ideological education for newer members to show them why the Supernatural is wrong and open up the Order to more initiates and even children to better ensure the safety of humanity. Such actions are fiercely opposed by Harbin Odafin who is considered a radical moderate regulator, wanting to chip supernatural creatures but at the same time permit them to have every day lives: a view that is sadly in the minority. Order Equipment Because of their tight control over magic, alchemy, and to some degree technology, across the globe up until the 2nd World War the order boasts some of the most advance equipment available to any monster hunting organization. By far there most prominent and closely guarded secret is their formula for alchemical silver, which they manufacture on mass giving them stockpiles of ammunition. In addition their dedication to the use of magic gives them the ability to enchant their weapons, and their exorbitant wealth always allows them to procure any weapon a member would ever desire. However the most identifiable piece of kit which any order member possess is their legendary rune armour, which has remained a staple of their armories for well over one-hundred years. To most it would appear as simple stylized plate armor, but to those who know better it is armour forged from vast quantities of silver and modern military grade metals, and enchanted to the point when it is practically weightless and near indestructible to modern firearms. However each suit is insanely expensive and complicated to make, with each individual piece costing in the millions to forge and enchant. Order ranks Initiate The official lowest rank, and are recruited either in the field by Knights, Paladin, Enforcers or Inquisitors or are scouted by the recruitment councilor personally. Indeed there is little in the way for policy on recruitment or what members can be accepted, leading to a diverse lower membership ranging from the brilliant academically to the homicidally insane. Indeed the order's preferred method of recruitment is to poach the best members from other orders. Knight The standing force and fully initiated and traditional membership of the order. The term Knight is a leftover fro its Medieval roots and despite its noble name, the process of being inducted is incredible informal and dependent on the Recruitment councilor. The Last member to receive a full initiation right was Gabriel Amell. Their role in the organization is incredible diverse, with each Knight fulfilling whatever role is necessary or required of them, but typically are assigned to a single Paladin. Paladin Members who have received recognition, or are noted for their experience and loyalty can be promoted to a Paladin. Officially allowed direct contact with councilors there only unique role above Knights, apart from seniority within the order, is that they act as the overseers of larger groupings of Knights. While a Paladin can put his boots on the ground and directly lead, like with a Knight they serve whatever role is required of them, but all must have at least killed a monster at some point during their lives. Archivist A specialist rank that exists outside the chain of command. A archivist advances the orders technological or magical superiority and works frequently directly under a councilor or a Paladin with councilor approval. Unlike other agents they are not deployed in the field unless required, and are officially the lowest ranked members of the order. Enforcer Equivalent to a Paladin in terms of status, a Enforcer's role is to act as the internal police for the organization. They are frequently Knights and occasionally Paladins who peak the Justicar's interest, with the current Justicar having a preference for convicted criminals. Inquisitor An experienced or distinguished member of the Order's enforcer core, Inquisitors hold seniority of Enforcer's and Paladins although cannot directly interfere with councilors. However they have the ability to permit Serf's to join the order. Councillor The five leaders of the order, who each head a separate division of the order. Councillors can be of any rank prior to being elected by the Paladin's, including Serf's, and only require to have killed a series of intelligent humanoids, and served as a field agent fro around twenty years. Each councilor has a fixed term of one hundred years though. Justicar The header of the Inquisitors and Enforcer's, it exists separately from the council and directly serves the Grandmaster. The current Justicar is Damian Thatch and has been in charge of the division for now almost fifty years. Indeed despite it not being his responsibility to do so he has forwarded the orders magical knowledge, and specializes in capturing supernatural creatures alive. Grandmaster Undisputed head of the order, elected by the five councilors, can be of any rank, excluding a Serf. His current identity is a mystery. Serfs Serf's are supernatural creatures 'permitted' to exist by the order, and are used as living weapons against humans and their own kind. They are frequently members who have been infected in the line of duty and have accepted the restrictions that this rank places on them. In addition they have practically no rights and are treated simply as expendable suicide shock soldiers to serve and die for a greater cause. However some Serf's have achieved notoriety and some unofficial power, with one even currently holding a seat on the Council. Freeman A unique rank held by only seven members in the orders history. The rank is equivalent to a councilor in terms of influence within the order, if not at times the Grandmaster, and is the ultimate acknowledgement of being the most capable hunter in the order. The users of the title forgo promotion to more official ranks and stringently cling to their duty to protect mankind, and show no mercy to the enemies of the organization (originally England). with it the user has absolute impunity from any rules within the order and are considered above reproach, treated as literal living legends, however by accepting the rank you forever swear to never lay down your weapons. There is no standardized way to be given the rank and the only one currently alive is Gabriel Amell who has held the title for thirty years after passing over the Grandmaster post seven times. Agents *Damian Thatch "The Catcher" *Lodivico Falco "Blacklist" *Ernesto Falco "Psycho Crusher" *Gabriel Amell "White Lion" *Marcus Hopkins "Ultimate Pop" Former Agents *Commander Gerald Baxter (KIA) *Arthur Amell (AWOL) *Vivien Amell (AWOL) *Sir Bedivere (Bernard) Knight (Banished) *Francesca de Vallion (AWOL) Trivia *The Order's Theme songs I can't decide by Scissors sisters and Hunt you down by The Hit House *Due to its aggressive nature the order is officially band by other monster hunting groups from entering almost all the worlds countries. However its ability to hide itself allows it to easily ignore such restrictions. Category:Organizations Category:The Order of St. Arthur